The number of No votes on US Supreme Court nominees since 1900:
Bork (Reagan) 58
Haynesworth (Nixon) 55
Carswell (Nixon) 51
Kavanaugh (Trump) 48
Thomas (GHW Bush) 48
Gorsuch (Trump) 45
Alito (GW Bush) 42
Parker (Hoover) 41
Kagan (Obama) 37
Rehnquist (Reagan) 33 [Chief Justice Vote in ’86]
Is there an underlying pattern here? Even after conceding that Haynesworth and Carswell were below subpar, one side seems to be nominating really bad, bad people since the late 1960s, no?
In the aftermath of this process, how does one side clench tightly their panties, while lamenting in front of the cameras that this circus cage match might taint the Supreme Court and us citizens view of it? Maybe I missed the appearance of the black robed ones in the three rings of non stop 24/7 clown acts.
In the days leading up to the final vote, respectable pundits (NYT’s Brooks and the Atlantic’s Frum) called on the occupants of the two sided, funny looking, white wedding cake of a building at the eastern end of Pennsy Avenue to something better and to demand of themselves something higher when debating, advising, consenting or not consenting with those whose policy positions do not align with their own.
US Congress 2018
Really? An end to boffo rated, TV and internet broadcasts of politically-motivated character assassinations? Bwa ha ha ha. It has fully devolved into a scrum of school yard bullies that is picture perfect for our twitterzied, instagrammed age. How can these smart folks see any rays of hope for the future of bipartisanship in these “Just Win, Baby” times?
Factionalism was one of the greatest fears of the framers of the US Constitution. Unfortunately, too many of the checks against factionalism have either eroded, been eliminated in the name of expediency, or become obsolete. Absent a sudden shift toward a cultural maturity (i.e., being willing to take the responsibility and obligations that are the individuals’ part of the bargain in return for the rights which the government is put in place to help protect), Madison and Adams appear to have turned out to be the prescient ones.
The “horse race” mentality and the blurring of the line between reality shows and important considerations are part of the forces that are fueling our “all my team all the time” zeitgeist. Some sober opinion makers say it’s due to recent surge on tribalism. I disagree. This view fails to understand that that toothpaste has long been out of the tube (IMO since the early 1800s), and that this tribal mob-ism will inexorably lead to more crazy shooter, baseball field violent events going forward. Tribalism is but a symptom, the root cause is our craving for bread and circuses which is now driven to hypersonic velocities and intensities by social media.
Stay tuned for future programming announcements. Lay in a supply of microwave popcorn — it will be televised.
Copyright © 2018 From My Isle Seat